


The Club/Blue Like Him

by nhasablog



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Bondage, Fluff, Light Bondage, M/M, Tickling, tickle kinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-04 12:12:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13364463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: So this was The Club. This was not being afraid of who you were. It was overwhelming.He downed his drink.(Or, Tony finally plucks up the courage to go to The Club, a place for tickle lovers to interact and maybe even engage in tickling. But will he find his ler or not? AU.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously don't read if tickling freaks you out lmao. Bondage will most likely happen as the story progresses, but nothing NSFW will appear.

You didn’t need an invitation or a membership to get into The Club, mostly because only people who really wanted to get in decided to go there, knowing there was no turning back once people had caught sight of you. If you were insecure about this, or wanted to go in there for laughs, you wouldn’t be able to undo it. Your face would forever be etched in people’s memories, and if you were someone worth remembering, it would be even worse.

That was what Tony kept telling himself as he directed Happy, his chauffeur and bodyguard, to take a right onto the street where The Club was located. There really wouldn’t be no turning back once he approached that door.

He was ready for this.

Right?

The thing was, Tony knew the risks and knew that even if he did change his mind that this wouldn’t get out, but the embarrassment of those people in there knowing that he, Tony Stark, had been in their lobbies, hallways, booths for a certain amount of time would kill him. That was what kept him frozen in his seat for minutes after they had pulled over. Happy, who had been satisfied with Tony’s stuttered reply when asked where they were going, waited patiently in the driver’s seat.

He was doing this.

He clapped Happy on the shoulder. “I’ll get a cab.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t know how long I’ll stay. I wouldn’t want to call you in the middle of the night, or, god forbid, in five minutes when you’re already on the highway.”

Grinning when Happy snorted, Tony opened the door and stepped out onto the street. A streetlamp was casting its light right at him, making him feel as if the whole world was watching him. The street was empty.

The Club had guards inside, being considerate enough of the people who would no doubt walk past the entrance at least three times before deciding on their next move. Tony appreciated that.

He didn’t linger outside though, because it was either fight or flight with him, and if he left he would never come back. Back straight, head high, arms unsure of what to do so they were hanging limply, he pushed the door open and was met with muffled music from the room on the other side of the hallway combined with the deafening silence of the lobby. It was strange. The lights were too yellow in here.

“Is this your first time here?” one of the guards asked before Tony had even opened his mouth. He hadn’t said it in a mean way, but lacked the warmth of someone who wanted to impress. Tony reckoned he’d said this about a hundred times already that night alone.

And it was only just past midnight.

Tony approached the desk. “Yes. It is.”

The guard - maybe that wasn’t the correct term for them - pointed to the three bowls before him. “Pick a bracelet. Red means you’re here to meet like minded people but don’t want to do anything with them. Green means you do. Blue means you’re unsure but would be willing to consider it, possibly at a later date.”

“Hmm.”

“Pick a bracelet,” the guard - Phil, according to his nametag - repeated.

“Blue.”

“Blue it is. Wrist.” Tony held out his hand and let Phil clip the bracelet around his wrist. “They glow a bit under the lights inside, so that they’re easier to spot. If you know you’ll come back and know you’ll pick blue again, do keep it.”

“Recycling is good.”

“It really is.” Phil smiled then, and Tony felt better. “Would you like my colleague to take your coat?”

Giving his jacket to a woman who had been silently observing the whole interaction, Tony thanked them both and approached the door to The Club slowly.

He’d read about this place for months before picking up the courage to actually come. It was open 24/7, serving as a bunch of different things during the other parts of the day so that people could interact at all times. In the morning it was a café and a library of some sorts, which they only called that because they needed to be able to provide people with free access to the space if they needed it, but couldn’t afford to buy anything. You could spend hours in libraries without spending a penny, and it worked particularly well for younger people.

As time progressed, it turned from a café to a clubhouse where you could play pool or arcade games if you so pleased, and meals were being sold all day until eight. After that it turned into a bar and, eventually, into a club.

To decide which version of this place to attend hadn’t been hard for him.

It wasn’t actually called The Club, but that was what everyone called it, despite what time they visited it. It was like a joke. A secret club they were all a part of. Tony could only hope the secret part was accurate.

He went in.

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. Possibly people attacking him immediately with pokes and eager questions. People pointing at him and wondering why on Earth Tony Stark was here. Laughing at him.

None of that happened. He was met with a normal club with colorful lights, dancing bodies, the smell of sweat and alcohol and cologne, and people having fun. Talking. Getting to know one another in preparation for a giggly night, or, as it turned out, no giggles at all.

A tickle club had seemed different in his overthinking mind.

He joined the crowd, feeling strange about how all of these people shared his liking for this particular thing, whether they were lers or lees or switches or still unsure. It felt good to not be alone, he had to admit, but his mind still hadn’t calmed down, so he wasted no time in fighting his way to the bar to order something. Anything. It really didn’t matter.

He almost choked on his own spit when he saw that, instead of a little umbrella, a plastic feather had been put in his cocktail.

So this was The Club. This was not being afraid of who you were. It was overwhelming.

He downed his drink.

“You look lost.”

He glanced up after placing his second order, meeting the gaze of a redhead with a smirk that terrified him. “Maybe I am.”

Her smirk melted into a smile. “Should I call someone to pick you up?”

“Please don’t.”

She laughed, and Tony felt calmer. “I’m Natasha. I like taking people who are visibly here for the first time under my wing.”

“You come here often?”

“Been a regular for about three years.”

“Wohie.”

“Don’t worry. It gets easier after the third time. All you gotta do is make sure you actually show up for those two remaining visits.”

Tony paid for his drink and followed Natasha without having to be asked to. “I hope you’re ready for me to latch onto you now.”

“I am, don’t worry.”

Natasha lead him to a booth in the far back that was occupied by three other people, and Tony felt his face heat up in a way he knew he couldn’t blame on the booze just yet.

One guy, the only black one, was grinning as they approached them. “You found another newbie, Nat?”

“He looked like a lost puppy. I couldn’t help it.” She turned to him. “This is-”

“Tony.”

“And that’s Sam, Steve and Bucky.”

“Hi.”

They greeted him, and Tony noted their bracelets. Red for Sam and Nat. Green for Bucky. Blue for Steve.

Blue like him.

“Please do sit down,” Steve said when Tony met his gaze, and Tony did, almost automatically falling down onto the space that had been made for him beside Steve. Nat sat down beside Sam on the other side, the four of them trapping Bucky in the middle.

“Nat did this to me too my first time,” Steve explained. “Just randomly appeared and practically adopted me.”

“Hey, I had to spend my first time here entirely alone, and it was hell, because a lot of the time people don’t see past their own needs.”

“You’re an angel in disguise,” Sam said, and Nat elbowed him in the side.

Tony wasn’t sure why, but he had a feeling Rhodey and Pepper would get along with her. Rhodey in particular would be on his knees thanking her for taking care of him.

Tony wondered if he would ever introduce them to each other. Probably not.

“So how’d you find out about this place?” Natasha asked, sipping on the drink she had before her on the table.

“Google, basically. I stalked their website for like a month.”

“There’s no shame in that.”

Tony laughed, awkwardly and nervously, and took a sip of his own drink. “Uh, I don’t know how this works. What… if you have a green bracelet and find someone else with a green bracelet… What do you do? I mean, how do you go about it? I mean-”

Bucky saved him from further embarrassing himself. “It’s different. They do have back rooms where you can do your business, if you want to, but usually people tend to take someone else home. That way they can be at it for as long as they want and build up some anticipation.”

“Can you, like, just point at someone and go do it?”

Bucky grinned. “People tend to want at least one conversation first, but hey, you do you.”

Tony’s face was suddenly on fire. “No, no! I wouldn’t-”

“Bucky, stop messing with him,” Steve said, and Bucky turned his smirk toward him.

“I’m just answering his questions.”

“You can go about it however you want,” Steve told Tony, ignoring Bucky’s comment. “Communication and consent are important and the only things that are - or at least should be - obligatory. The rest you figure out.”

“Can you do it with several people?”

“If you want to.”

“Okay.”

“It’s kind of endearing to witness this,” Sam said. “You’re like a freshman speaking to seniors.”

That made Tony laugh. “And yet I’m very obviously the oldest one.”

“Hey, you can never know the wonders of plastic surgery.”

The ice had melted a little bit after that, and then Sam started telling them about the session he’d had the previous weekend.

“She had these super long nails, which had made me suspect she was a ler the moment I saw her. God, I still squirm thinking about them.”

“Are you gonna meet her again?” Nat asked.

“Yeah. That’s why I’m red tonight.”

“Didn’t the cuffs hurt your wrists, though?” Bucky asked.

“Nah. They were padded. She knew what she was doing.”

Steve said, “I had a session once with this guy who tied my hands behind his own back so that I was sort of hugging him, and each time I tried to pull away I just hugged him closer.”

“God, that sounds cruel.”

“It was amazing.”

“Wait,” Tony heard himself saying. “How do you know if someone is a ler or a lee or a switch?”

Bucky replied, “You ask them.”

“Oh.”

“Usually people can be cool with being the ler for a bit even if they’re a lee, as long as they get tickled too before the end of the night. But really, just ask them. It’s not weird if that’s the first thing out of your mouth. I mean, this place is meant for that.”

“And while we’re on the topic, I’m a ler,” Nat said, and the others caught the drift.

“Lee,” Sam said.

Bucky: “Ler.”

“Switch.” That was Steve.

“Lee,” Tony said, feeling shy about saying it aloud.

“Interesting. I would’ve pegged you as a ler,” Bucky said.

“How come?”

“You don’t look like the type of guy who likes giving up control.”

“Maybe that’s why I like doing it in- this aspect. I have to have control in everything else.”

“Interesting.”

Tony averted his eyes and observed the rest of the club. He’d been so invested in their conversations that he’d practically forgotten where he was, but now that he was aware it was as if the music got twice as loud.

“Do you guys come here during the day?”

“Sometimes. Mostly evenings after work.”

“You planning on coming here at other times?”

“No. Just wondered.” He finished the rest of his drink in a sweep. “I’m gonna get another one of these.”

“I’ll come with,” Steve said, following Tony’s lead when he stood. “I need another beer.”

They made their way through the crowd together, and Tony caught the sight of a woman leaning in to nibble at another woman’s neck, making her laugh and laugh and laugh.

He couldn’t stop staring.

“They’re so casual about it,” he told Steve when he caught him looking. “It’s so new to me.”

Steve shot him a sympathetic smile. “I get it. I came here for the first time about half a year ago.”

“Did you know those guys from beforehand?”

“Nah. Nat adopted me into the group, much like she’s doing to you. The rest is history.” He licked his lips, smile suddenly gone. “But if you don’t want to, well, hang out with us, you’re definitely free to go. We won’t get offended.”

Tony shook his head. “I like you guys. You’re unfortunately stuck with me. If I ever come back, that is.”

“I hope you will. I mean-” Steve laughed, and Tony was glad to see he wasn’t the only awkward one in this company. “You seem nice.”

“So do you.”

“Are you guys gonna order or what?”

They did, smiling sheepishly at the bartender who just rolled her eyes almost fondly.

They observed the people around them as they waited, Tony’s eyes almost seeking out laughter.

“I cannot get over this,” he said, mostly to himself, but he felt Steve’s attention turn to him.

“That’s normal.”

“Do you ever start getting more, well, used to it?”

“To a certain degree. It becomes normalcy here.”

Tony turned to him, feeling himself smiling. “I’m happy I came.” It was probably the most genuine thing he’d ever said in his life.

They paid for their drinks and rejoined the others, Tony making sure to drink this one slowly to not overdo it this early. He still hadn’t really seen anything yet, though he was seeing something all right. Sam and Bucky were in the middle of a poking match, and Tony liked the fact that lers could be ticklish too, if Bucky’s squirming and laughing was any indication.

“Take it back,” Sam was saying, aiming a poke at a spot that made Bucky all but crash into Steve from recoiling so hard.

“Okay, okay! Just stop it, geez.”

Sam was beaming. “Lers, man. They can never handle what they dish out.”

Bucky was full on blushing, and everyone seemed so amused by it that Tony could only presume this was a rarity.

Tony could see himself being tickled by him, though. Could imagine how playful he was. How cruel his teasing words would be as Tony lay there squirming for his life. How those words would practically be trailing over his sensitive skin all on their own.

But Tony wasn’t one for cruel lers. Bucky’s vibe made him feel tingly, but not the right sort of tingly.

Oh, god, he really was considering lers, wasn’t he?

Sam was busy, of course, and being a lee as well meant they would be a tough match to begin with. Nat seemed reassuring and kind, but she also gave off this dangerous energy. So, out of the people in this booth only Steve remained.

And funnily enough he’d be Tony’s first choice.

Maybe he shouldn’t be thinking of this.

“So, Tony.” Tony met Nat’s gaze. “Are you the type of lee who likes to provoke?”

Small talk. They were having small talk about tickling. Lord help him.

“If you mean I’m acting like a little shit just to get someone to at least poke me? Yes. But ever since telling my two closest friends I haven’t had to use those methods as much.”

“Oh, you’ve told them?”

“Is that bad?”

“No, no! It’s just that people tend to keep this to themselves.”

“Yeah, well, I was drunk. And desperate.”

The others hummed in understanding.

“Ever since then Rhodey - he’s my best friend from college - claims he only has to look at me to know when I need it. Pepper, my assistant turned girlfriend turned ex turned close friend - long story - does it when I’m being annoying, or so she says. I know for a fact that she sometimes only uses it as an excuse to get me to smile.”

“They sound wonderful,” Steve said. “If I hadn’t started hanging out with these guys-” He pointed to the other three. “outside of this place I don’t know what I’d do. Being new in a town where you don’t know anyone was hard enough.”

Bucky chimed in. “Being without tickles? Tragic.”

“So you guys, uh, tickle each other outside of here?”

“It’s not, you know, like a proper session,” Steve explained. “But we’re a touchy feely group, so it happens.”

“And sometimes you can tell when someone needs it right there right now,” Sam added.

“Huh.”

“You’re praying that you’ll get to be a part of this, don’t you?”

Tony smiled sheepishly at Natasha. “Maybe.”

“You’re in.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“We’ll get to know you soon enough.”

And just like that Tony was a part of this group. He met them at The Club two weekends in a row, and once on a Wednesday evening, but he didn’t get tickled until he found himself in Steve’s living room on their third weekend after Steve had found out that he lived on the other side of town and refused to let him get a cab when he could crash on his couch.

And even then the tickling had happened on accident.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony spends the night on Steve’s couch and gets a certain question thrown at him the next day that might change everything.

Tony was drunk. Steve wasn’t as drunk, but he was nowhere near sober. In fact, he probably wouldn’t be able to reach sober with his own hands right now. But Tony was worse. **  
**

That wasn’t the reason he was in Steve’s apartment.

The reason was, apparently, that Steve didn’t want him to take a cab to his home on the other side of town. As if Tony couldn’t afford it. But then again, Steve didn’t know that. And the fact that he was giving his whole couch to him was kind of endearing. And probably a little awkward, but who was drunk Tony to say?

Wait, had he been rambling all this out loud?

“It’s only awkward if we make it awkward,” Steve was saying, and if Tony hadn’t already been sweating he might’ve blushed.

“I promise that I’m more eloquent and stealthy when sober,” he replied and tripped over Steve’s carpet. Steve was nice enough to hold back his laughter as Tony tumbled down on the couch.

“I believe you, don’t worry.”

“If I didn’t like you I’d never allow myself to meet you again after this disaster. I mean, your friendship. Like your friendship. Like-”

“Tony, stop overthinking. It’s fine.”

Steve left him on the couch to simmer in his own embarrassment and returned a moment later with a glass of water that Tony downed in five seconds, and a plate of grapes that he placed on the table.

“I don’t have much else,” he replied, and Tony wanted to both rub his blush out of his cheeks and will it to stay there forever.

“This works perfectly,” he said, and then, to prove his point, shoved three grapes into his mouth at the same time and only realized they had seeds in them when he started chewing.

Steve saw his ordeal and did laugh this time. “You can spit them out.”

But Tony shook his head, chewed some more, and swallowed. “See? Perfectly.”

“You’re sweet.”

“Like a lemon.”

“Stop it.”

Tony hadn’t expected Steve to reach out and shove him, and in his surprise he tried to move away which resulted in his friend, who shared his liking, to poke him in his ribs instead. He really wished he’d laughed like a normal human being. Shrieking didn’t make him look any cooler.

At least Steve found it amusing.

“Sorry!” he said, his grin threatening to split his face in half. “I forgot about, well, that. Which is kind of ironic.”

“I  _promise_ I’m more put together while sober.”

“You don’t have to keep defending yourself, Tony. It’s okay.”

Tony leaned back against the couch, letting his head fall back as he heaved a sigh. “I’m a mess and I’m gonna regret every single word I’ve said tomorrow.”

Steve went to pat his knee - or at least so Tony thought? - but only made Tony jump at the sudden movement so close to his sensitive spots.

“For the love of-”

“Sorry! Gonna stop touching you.”

“You haven’t even touched me properly. That’s the worst part.”

They ate grapes in silence after that, both of them processing Tony’s words and the meaning behind them. Did Tony want Steve to tickle him? Desperately so. He’d been going to The Club for three weeks and still hadn’t gotten what he had initially gone for. It was kind of tragic.

But maybe anticipation was good. Building the whole thing up, so that once he was pinned he’d get the best tickle session of his life. Maybe from Steve. Maybe from someone else. But he hoped it’d be Steve.

He dreamt of fingers and bright smiles and a voice sounding suspiciously like Steve’s all night.

* * *

 

He woke up because Steve woke up. It wasn’t that the other man was being particularly loud, but the coffee brewer was, and the toaster was, and the running water was, and that combined with the sun rising and making the room brighter and brighter meant that it would be a miracle if Tony managed to stay asleep.

He rolled over, greeting the living room and finding the plate with last night’s grapes still on the coffee table. In fact, he found a lot of things from last night. He was still in his clothes from last night, and he knew it wasn’t because he’d felt shy about getting undressed.

“Did I pass out suddenly last night?” he asked, voice hoarse and throat dry.

Steve’s head popped out of the kitchen a moment later. “Morning. You did, yes.”

“Sorry.”

“Please don’t apologize.” Steve disappeared again, leaving Tony to sit up slowly and curse his pounding head.

“You’d think that my body would be used to hangovers at this point,” he said, mostly to himself, but he heard Steve snort in the other room.

He wasn’t sure if he was expecting things to be awkward, but it was apparent that Steve made sure they wouldn’t be. Maybe he was trying a bit too hard, with all the smiling and cheerful tones that no one who’d been out drinking the previous night was capable of uttering without being a fraud, but Tony appreciated it.

“I can’t believe you made us breakfast,” he said when he entered the kitchen after spending slightly too long in the bathroom feeling sorry for himself.

Steve placed two plates on the table. “The key to not hating yourself as much is to eat some of the hangover away.”

“Fair.”

“You want juice or coffee? Or maybe both?”

“Coffee. Please. I take it black.”

Steve handed him his cup just as he sat down, the coffee burning his throat because he wasn’t patient enough to wait for it to cool down. He placed it on the table before him and caught sight of the actual feast Steve had prepared for them.

“Omelettes, toast,  _and_ eggs? Steve, you spoil me.”

“I didn’t know what you liked,” Steve explained, sounding almost shy, which was interesting.

Tony licked his lips. “You could’ve asked.”

“I didn’t want to wake you. I- nevermind.”

“No, no, you start a sentence, you finish it.” Tony was only teasing, but Steve’s flush was enough to make him curious.

“I kind of wanted to serve it to you in the living room,” Steve admitted, turning his back on him to pour himself some coffee. “Sort of like a surprise.”

“Breakfast in bed. Or couch.”

Steve barked out a laugh. “Exactly.”

“What a good host. Remind me to never invite you over because I won’t be able to compete anyway.”

They laughed. Steve sat. They served themselves food. They ate. Outside the sun was being replaced with clouds, though they lacked the heaviness that promised rain. Tony was glad for it.

“Maybe we can take a walk later. As much as I would love to stay on your couch all day, I know fresh air is good for hangovers.”

“Sounds good. I can leave you at the station afterward too so that you can actually go home this time.”

Tony hummed. “I’m in no hurry. Unless you have plans yourself?”

“I do, actually, but not until this evening.”

“So we’ve still got a few hours.”

“We do.”

Tony was midbite when a realization hit him. “Wait, you don’t  _have_ to hang out with me if you don’t want to. I won’t be offended, I promise.”

Steve shot him a look. “Of course I want to hang out with you. I just didn’t want you to feel obligated to and wanted to give you the option to leave.”

“Oh.”

“Maybe we should just speak outright.”

“I can do that. Can I ask a question right now?”

“Go for it.”

“Why did you insist I stay here when you knew I had no problem actually getting home? I mean, I assume you did because you haven’t said anything about it until now.”

Steve took his time chewing his piece of toast, swallowing slowly and making sure to wipe his mouth with a napkin before replying, “Maybe I just wanted company.”

“My company?”

Steve nodded, a shy grin on his lips. “Your company.”

“I see.”

“I like your company.”

“I like your company too.”

“Good thing we’re on the same page.”

Tony took a sip of coffee when Steve added, “Can I ask you something too?”

Swallowing both his drink and heart that had suddenly lunged up his throat, Tony nodded, “Go ahead.”

“Would you… well, do you want me to tickle you?”

Tony hadn’t expected him to ask so boldly, so his blush was sudden and intense. “Uhm-”

“You don’t have to answer.”

“I do.”

“What?”

“Want you to.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“I just noticed that you haven’t exactly made an effort to find someone, so I figured maybe you were interested in one of us.”

Tony put his cup down. “Clever man.”

“Not clever. Just observant.”

“I’ve noticed that you don’t exactly do things with anyone either. Would you-” Tony waved his hands around. “-be willing to?”

“Tickle you?”

“Yes. Sorry. I know we said we were gonna say things outright, but-”

“It embarrasses you.”

“Evidently.”

Steve laughed at that, but it wasn’t a malicious laugh. In fact, it was almost fond.

“Well, now that we’ve got all the cards on the table,” Steve started and stood up. Tony had really expected him to wreck him then, but all he did was grab their now empty plates to put them in the sink. “Let’s go on that walk.”

Tony wished he’d never brought the walk up.

* * *

 

They ended up at The Club. How, he wasn’t actually sure, but Steve’s apartment being so close had resulted in their feet leading them toward that block and then to the door, and while they could definitely have kept walking, what was the fun in that? With their confessions still fresh in their minds and boiling in their blood, they entered the building where they had first met.

Of course they found the others having brunch there.

“You came!” Sam said, as if either of them had remembered they’d been invited. “How was your night?”

He’d asked it innocently enough, but both of them knew his words had a knowing undertone.

Steve cleared his throat. “It was good.”

“Steve’s couch is comfier than one would think.”

Nat, bless her, changed the subject. “Are you guys hungry?”

“We actually just ate, but I could always do with another coffee. Steve?”

“Coffee sounds good.”

“My treat.”

“Tony, please-”

“Think of it as a thank you for breakfast.”

He left before Steve could protest further, but mostly he needed a moment to collect himself and will this hot face to cool down. They truly hadn’t done a thing, and yet their conversation made everything seem so much more intense.

The Club was different this early in the day. Not a trace of last night’s dancing or giggling or boozing could be found, though Tony still heard a ticklish laugh here and there. He reckoned people felt more self conscious during daytime.

He paid for the coffees and approached the table again, surprised at how he wasn’t feeling like he was intruding. These were his people now, at least in this space, and they wanted him here as much as he wanted to be here with them.

The thought scared him a bit. He hadn’t felt that way about, well, anyone, besides Pepper and Rhodey.

He really did need to introduce them to each other now.

“I had a spontaneous thought,” he said as he placed the cups on the table and took a seat between Steve and Bucky.

“Do share,” Steve said as he reached for the cup and the pack of sugar Tony had thrown his way.

“I want you guys to meet my other friends. I know it’s early, and you can say no, but I think you’d get along.” He fiddled with the cup handle. “We don’t have to say where we met.”

“Have you told them about this place?” Bucky asked somewhat warily.

“Not yet. Though they’ve been asking me where I go off to every weekend. But anyway, it was just a thought.”

“A spontaneous one,” Steve added, making Tony laugh.

“We could definitely meet them,” Nat said. “One day.”

Tony nodded, not offended in the slightest. “One day.”

“Okay, I’ve kept my mouth shut long enough,” Bucky suddenly said. “I need details from last night. Come on.”

Steve and Tony exchanged glances, but otherwise did a good job at acting confused.

“What details?” Steve asked innocently.

“Don’t fuck with me, Rogers. You practically begging Tony to come home with you obviously lead to other things.” He leaned closer to Tony in order to see Steve better. “Other  _giggly_ things.”

“He didn’t tickle me,” Tony blurted out. “Only on accident.”

“How do you tickle someone on accident?” Bucky shot back.

“If someone is as ticklish as- if someone is ticklish they can definitely be tickled on accident.”

“Nice save, T.”

“Shut it, Sam.”

“And nothing else happened either,” Steve added, probably for good measure. “We just slept. In separate rooms. And then we had breakfast.”

“He did feed me grapes last night, but apparently I passed out.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

Bucky looked disappointed. “Boring. You could’ve at least have laughed a little bit.”

“Sam, can you poke him for me?” Steve asked and Sam obliged without a word.

Bucky batted at his hand. “Stop it you goddamn pest.”

“Lers, man. They-”

“Can’t handle what they dish,” Steve finished for him, grinning at Bucky almost smugly.

“There’s one thing I cannot comprehend,” Nat said when they were about to part ways half an hour later. Sam had rushed to the bathroom as he had a bit of a journey ahead of him. Steve and Bucky were already outside, but Nat had pulled Tony aside in the lobby. “If nothing happened, why are you two acting so strangely?”

Tony narrowed his eyes at her. “Strangely how?”

“All blushy and secretive. As if you were lying.”

“We weren’t lying.”

“I know.”

“So what-”

“I have a feeling you both know something is going to happen.”

Tony’s face was on fire. “Shut it, Nat.”

Nat’s laughter followed him all the way back to Steve’s apartment.

* * *

 

Things were tense when they entered the living room, both of them unsure of how to act. Both of them aware of what was to come if they only allowed it to. Tony hoped he wouldn’t freak out. Freak out and change his mind and never get the courage to ask for it again and regret it for the rest of his life.

He hoped Steve wouldn’t change his mind either.

“Do you-”

“I do.” Steve said it quickly, breathlessly, because at this point they both knew what they wanted.

“Here?”

“The bed?”

“The bed.”

They went to the bedroom, which was small and a little messy, but bright and homey. The bed took up most of the space.

“I’m not sure how hard you want me to go, but do you have a safe word of choice?” Steve was asking as he removed a bag and some articles of clothing from the bed.

“Uh, I don’t know. Iron maybe?”

“Iron it is.”

“I’m nervous,” Tony admitted. “I’ve never done this before.”

“We can do things exactly as you want them, and if you say the safe word I will stop.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

Tony nodded, a small smile finding his lips. “Okay.”

Steve was grinning too. “So how do you want to do this?”

“Can you just pin me down? I’ve been craving that for weeks.”

“Pinning it is. Any specific wishes?”

“Just find my worst spots and turn me to mush.”

And that was what he did. Tony didn’t fight back when Steve pushed him down the bed and straddled his hips, nor when he trapped his hands against the mattress with his knees. He did squirm when Steve started spidering his fingers up his ribs slowly, but it was only once he realized that Tony’s neck was a killer that Tony started pulling at his hands desperately, and, being unable to free them, fell into hysterics.

And that was how they became friends with tickle benefits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com).


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony have been tickle buddies for about a week when a misunderstanding takes place and Tony leaves The Club, possibly for good.

“So you two are dating now?”

Tony choked on his drink, meeting Nat’s smug gaze with his panicked one. “Why would you say that?”

“When friends become tickle buddies they usually become more.”

“We’ve only been tickle buddies for like a week.”

“But you’ve been friends for a month.”

“Doesn’t mean we’re together. It’s kind of early for that, don’t you think?”

“I said dating. Not together. That comes later.”

She winked at him, and Tony found the colorful lights of The Club both a curse and a blessing. On one hand he didn’t want her to have this entirely wrong impression of what he and Steve were, but on the other… well, the lights did a good job of covering up his wishful blush that had practically moved into his cheeks ever since their friends found out about them.

A blush Steve didn’t share.

Gripping his glass maybe a bit too tightly, Tony followed Nat back to their booth. This was his third weekend here and they always ended up in the same booth. He reckoned it would feel way too wrong to break that habit now.

He sat next to Steve and placed the second glass he’d been holding in front of him. “Your beer, though I was very tempted to get you something that actually tastes good.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Not all of us are cocktail people.”

“Evidently.” Tony stirred his drink with the plastic feather decoration, watching the ice intently for a few seconds. He felt Steve’s eyes on him. “I guess after so many years, beer wouldn’t do anything for me anyway.”

“It’s not necessarily to get drunk,” Steve countered. “But a way to relax. Just like no one expects to get dizzy from having a glass of wine with a meal.”

Tony felt as if he’d revealed slightly too much about himself with that simple sentence, and a panic settled over his heart. “I see. Are you an expert on ways to relax?”

Steve smirked. “I know a thing or two.”

“I feel like I’m not supposed to witness this,” Bucky said, though he made no move to look away. “I’m not sure if this is gross or endearing.”

“What are you talking about?” Tony asked, already fed up with this impression of them that their friends seemed to all share. “We’re literally talking about booze.”

“Geez, testy. Maybe Steve can help you with that.” Bucky winked, and Tony felt the urge to throw Steve’s beer at him (not his own delicious drink, thank you very much).

Tony leaned back in his seat. “Steve, tell them.”

“Tell them what?”

“What we are and are not.”

“Tony, it’s not a big deal.”

“It is to them, apparently.”

“Tony-”

“Steve.” Tony looked at him now, eyebrows raised. “Just tell them. They don’t listen to me.”

Steve looked uncomfortable. Tony couldn’t for the life of him understand why. “Excuse me.”

Tony stood to let him get past him. “Where are you going?”

“Bathroom.”

“Are you okay?”

“Sure.”

“You don’t look it.”

“Just… I’ll be right back.”

And he left, leaving a very confused Tony behind. He sat again, looking at the others for guidance, but it was as if they all refused to look him in the eyes.

What the fuck happened?

The night lost its ease after that. Tony had no idea why, but an anxiety was gnawing at him, making him feel both hollow and heavy. He watched Steve down his beer once he’d finally returned, watched him watch the room and never once catching Tony’s eye. Watched him subtly move closer to Bucky so that they weren’t touching.

Tony felt as if someone had ripped his heart out of his chest and thrown it in front of a moving train. The wheels never seemed to end. Perpetual blows, making him unable to catch his breath.

So he hid in the bathroom like Steve had, because no one took that long in a public bathroom.

He called Rhodey.

“Can I come over?” he asked with no prelude. “Please tell me you don’t have anyone else there with you, unless it’s Pepper.”

“No. All alone.” Rhodey didn’t ask him what was wrong, knowing full well that he’d get it out of Tony at a later date. “Come on over.”

“On my way.”

So maybe he was being a middle schooler about this, but could anyone blame him?

“I’m leaving,” he told the others, not bothering to sit down again. “Emergency.” Which technically wasn’t a lie. “I’m going to my friend Rhodey’s.”

Steve looked like he wanted to say something, but seemed to only settle on a nod. Tony didn’t hug any of them.

He’d had better Fridays.

* * *

 

“You’re lucky I was awake,” Rhodey told him when he showed up at his apartment with pizza and Pepper, whom he had picked up on his way over.

Tony snorted. “Please, I know you turn into a vampire on the weekends.”

“Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?”

“Later. Let me pretend everything’s fine for a sec.”

They ate in front of the TV, a dumb movie that would only play at this hour making the screen glow. Tony liked the simplicity. The normalcy. But they could all tell his heart wasn’t entirely in it.

“So,” Rhodey started, wiping his mouth on a napkin. “I know you didn’t come here in the middle of the night because you missed us.”

“How can you say that?”

“Well, as much as I wanna flatter myself, I saw you yesterday. And Pepper sees you everyday.” He shot him a small grin, but Tony could see the concern beneath it. “So, what’s up?”

Tony squirmed in his seat on the couch. “Well, you know how I keep disappearing every weekend?”

“Oohh, will we finally be let in on this big secret?” Pepper asked, probably mostly to lighten the mood.

It worked. “Sort of,” Tony replied with a laugh. “God, I don’t know how to say this.”

“Just say it.”

“The thing is, I could definitely keep part of the truth to myself, but I also don’t want to do that.”

“Do what makes you feel the most comfortable, but know we don’t judge.”

“I know, Rhodey, I know.”

Tony took a sip of his wine, cursing Steve for making him think of him every time he reached for his glass. The wine was anything but relaxing.

“You know that thing I like? The thing I was embarrassed to tell you about.”

“Tickling?”

“That. Well, there’s this club, right? Where people like me can go to meet other people. I say club, but it’s open all day and functions as different meeting locations during different times. But I mostly go when it’s a club. That’s where I was earlier.”

He drank again to keep from analyzing his friends’ expressions.

“I’ve been going there every weekend for about a month, and I’ve made some friends, but we didn’t… do anything until last weekend. Oh, god.” He ran a hand over his face. “This is awful.”

“Hey, hey.” Rhodey and Pepper were at his sides, trapping him in their familiar embraces for a moment. “It’s okay,” Pepper mumbled into his hair, and Tony wanted so desperately to believe her.

“I just feel like such a freak talking about this,” he choked out with a laugh.

“Don’t,” Rhodey replied. “You know we don’t judge. Just because we can’t relate, doesn’t mean we find it weird.”

“Besides,” Pepper said with a grin that made him nervous. “We find it cute.”

Tony knew that any other time he might’ve gotten a few pokes to the sides, but seeing as he was still mid-confession, it made sense when it didn’t happen.

“What I’m trying to say,” he continued, and Rhodey and Pepper moved away a bit to give him some space. “I found a… tickle buddy I guess is what everyone calls it. We’ve only been doing it for about a week, but I think I messed it up.”

Pepper started stroking his hair. “Why do you say that?”

Tony shrugged. “He just started acting so… cold. Out of nowhere. Well, okay, I have a theory.”

“Of course you do.”

“But that theory requires me to consider something I cannot believe.”

“And that is?”

Tony bit the inside of his cheek. “That he might want to be more.”

Tony and Pepper stayed at Rhodey’s that night. It wasn’t unusual. Rhodey would always insist that Pepper took the bed, and when Tony was dating her, Rhodey mock-reluctantly allowed him to sleep next to her (and on one drunken night they had insisted on Rhodey doing so, too. Let’s just say that a double sized bed becomes increasingly smaller when three people are on it). That night they were all in the living room, Tony curled up on the couch because he was very aware of how much worse it was than the mattresses on the floor, and refused to subject either of his friends to that. Rhodey only allowed that because he knew it was fruitless to argue with him.

Tony passed out almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, but woke up way too early to a phone ringing.

“Seriously?” he groaned, opening an eye to watch Pepper stand and grab her phone and walk into the kitchen as if she hadn’t been asleep a moment ago. Rhodey was looking as disheveled as he felt.

“Lord have mercy,” he mumbled into his pillow, and Tony hummed in agreement.

It was a sunny morning, meaning that now that they were awake they probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again in the bright living room. Tony rolled over and pressed his face into the back of the couch, but with every second his mind woke up more and more. Dammit, Pepper.

“Who doesn’t put their phone on silent in this day and age?” he asked when Pepper returned. If they hadn’t been dating for a while he might’ve commented on the fact that, other than her messy bed hair and ruffled clothes, she looked as if she’d been awake for hours already. Honestly, it wasn’t fair.

“Sorry,” she said with a grin that seemed anything but. She didn’t offer any sort of explanation to who had called, and to be honest Tony didn’t really care.

Rolling over onto his back again, Tony let out a sigh as reality started reforming in his mind. One part of him wanted to check his own phone for any messages, but the other part tried to convince himself that he didn’t care if he had texts from Steve or not. It didn’t matter.

But it did, so he reached for the phone and was severely disappointed to only find a text from Nat.

_‘Did you get home all right?_ ’ was all it said, and Tony felt a warmth toward her. Whatever happened with Steve he hoped he’d still have her friendship.

“Who are you texting?” Rhodey asked, scooting closer to the couch as if it would make him see the screen better.

“No one,” Tony said, still typing.

“Uh huh. Whatever you say.”

“I feel like breakfast,” Pepper said, seemingly not planning on going back to sleep. “Is that diner place nearby still open?”

They got dressed, neither of them caring to shower or look presentable just to grab food down the block. Tony borrowed one of Rhodey’s hoodies to wear with his jeans from last night, popped his sunglasses on to hide the bags under his eyes, and followed his friends out of the apartment. The thought of pancakes made him feel hungrier by the minute.

It had rained at one point during the night. Hell, maybe it was even raining when Tony had left The Club, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember it.

“Are we eating here or bringing it with us?” Pepper asked when they entered, the smell of wonderful foods mixed with the warmth of the diner hitting them in the face.

“Let’s eat here. I don’t think I can wait long enough to go back,” Tony said, taking a seat immediately at their usual table. “Besides, I’m craving coffee.”

“Did I hear coffee?” the waitress, a young woman named Kate, said, materializing beside them out of nowhere. Yes, they were on first name basis with their waitress. It was kinda sad. “Hey, guys. It’s been a while.”

“Hey, Kate,” they replied in unison. “Please tell me Barton still keeps the same cook,” Tony added, and Kate sent him a wink.

“Of course. We’ve never heard a single complaint.”

“Then you’ll have three very happy customers.”

“One can hope. So, I’ll get you coffee while you look through the menus.”

The only reason they even bothered with the menus was because the diner introduced a new dish every month to replace another one. It was all good until one of their favorite foods disappeared, but Kate and the chef, a man named Thor (seriously), were gracious enough to get them the missing food if they asked for it.

Tony was happy to find that his favorite banana pancakes were still in their rightful place.

“Kate Bishop, I love you,” he said when Kate returned with their drinks. She knew exactly how they took them.

“And I love you, but I’m still taken.”

“America is one lucky girl.”

“This is where I’m supposed to say that I’m the lucky one, but honestly, you’re right.”

They laughed and placed their orders, and it was only once Kate had disappeared into the kitchen that Tony caught sight of them. There, sitting as far into the diner as possible, pretty much on the opposite side of the room, was Steve and the others. They hadn’t gotten their food yet. Steve was looking right at him.

Oh no.

“What are you looking at?” Rhodey asked, turning around in his chair. “Tones, what-”

“Wait here.” Tony took a sip of his coffee and got up, his feet leading him toward the table until he was standing right before them, a strained smile finding his lips as he said, “Didn’t expect to see you guys here.”

“Well, well, well,” Bucky was saying, and Tony could tell he liked him less than last night, though he wasn’t sure why. “Look who decided to appear again.”

“I did say that I had to leave due to an emergency.”

“What was the emergency?”

“None of your business,” Tony snapped before pointing to his table. “Those are my friends and I was needed. Anything else?”

“Testy. I kinda like that.”

“Bucky,” Steve said, a warning in his voice.

Bucky leaned back in his chair, but didn’t say another word. Tony wished he could leave.

“Is that Rhodey and Pepper?” Nat asked, her tone kind and interested.

“Yes.”

“Can we meet them?”

“Sure? I mean, uh, they do know about The Club now, and I feel like they’ll put two and two together.”

“That’s fine by me,” she said and stood. No one else followed her suit, though Sam looked curiously at Tony’s table.

Tony followed her, not feeling like putting up with the awkwardness and knowledge that apparently only Natasha liked him now. Rhodey and Pepper perked up at their arrival, greeting Nat with handshakes and genuine smiles.

“I take it you guys met at the, uh-”

“Yes,” Nat said, grinning at Rhodey in a way Tony would never be able to while talking about this. “I took him under my wing.”

“I could kiss you for that.”

“I might have to punch you if you do.”

Rhodey burst out laughing, even though Tony was certain he knew it was true. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Tony didn’t know why, but Nat sat down on the empty fourth chair as if she did this everyday, and so Tony fell into his own seat a moment later, his hands gripping his cup just to have something to do.

“Tony’s been talking about you,” Nat was saying.

“Only good things, I hope,” Pepper said, and Tony noted her almost nervous smile. Interesting.

“Of course. He kept saying he wanted us all to meet, so I guess that wish came true, huh?”

Tony snorted. “I’m glad they met  _you_.”

“The others will come around. They just felt like being assholes today.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that?”

Tony felt the need to slap a palm over Rhodey’s mouth, but the damage had already been made. They all knew damn well why the others weren’t on speaking terms with Tony.

Well, actually, Tony had no idea, when he thought about it. Steve had been the only one to act strangely the night before. The others had no concrete reason.

Nat glanced at him, as if trying to decide if she should tell the truth or not. “Well,” she started, adjusting her position. “They think Tony treated Steve unfairly and believe they have the right to be idiots about it.”

“Steve’s your-”

“Yes,” Tony said quickly, unable to keep his blush at bay now. “Or, well, he was. But I don’t get how I’m the bad guy here. Steve was obviously not into me at all last night and I wasn’t gonna stick around to be a fifth wheel.”

“See,  _I_ get that,” Nat said. “But I don’t think they do.”

“And a diner is obviously the perfect place to have that conversation,” Tony mumbled just as Kate appeared, looking unsure.

“Hi, sorry, should I leave your food here or with the others?” she asked Nat, and before anyone could stop her she replied, “Could we join two tables to sit together?”

No one protested, even though half the party so obviously disliked the idea. The diner was empty enough that Saturday morning so that they didn’t disturb anyone with their reshuffling, but Tony reckoned him sitting as far away from Steve was sort of counterproductive. Still, he felt more comfortable with Pepper and Rhodey.

This was gonna be a disaster.

Tony mostly ate his food in silence, but Nat was chatting away with Rhodey and Pepper, and Sam ended up introducing himself and joining in. Even Kate took a seat at one point when no one else was in the diner, though of course that didn’t last too long.

“Give Thor my compliments!” Tony called after her, and she just winked.

“We had a period where we came here practically every weekend,” Pepper was telling Nat. “It’s only a couple of minutes from Rhodey’s apartment, so we just couldn’t.”

“And that’s how you got so close to Kate?”

“Exactly. She’s a sweet girl. We even had her and her girlfriend over for dinner a few times.”

“Hell, we’ve had both the owner and the chef over for dinner,” Rhodey added.

“You guys know Clint?”

That caught Tony’s attention. “You know him?”

“Childhood friend. That’s why we started coming here, but Bucky ended up moving to a place just a few blocks away, so if we crash at his it’s not too far away.”

“Why’d you all sleep at Bucky’s when Steve’s place was so much closer?”

An awkward silence; one Tony never would’ve thought Steve would break.

“Because I wasn’t feeling too well and they wanted to cheer me up,” he said, meeting Tony’s gaze for the first time since Tony had approached their table. “My place just… felt wrong.”

Maybe Tony read too much into it, but he felt his heart skip a beat. “Oh.”

Another awkward silence.

“We should talk,” Steve finally said.

“Here?”

“Outside?”

“Okay.”

They got up and left the table while the others desperately tried to look uninterested. The sun was bright when they stepped out of the diner, slowly drying the still slightly wet ground. Tony loved early spring. Everything felt so hopeful.

“So, I think I have a few things to explain,” Steve started, leaning against the wall of the building.

“Go ahead.”

“I just want to preface this by saying I never meant to… hurt you, I guess. And I know you never meant to hurt me either, and it’s all just a big misunderstanding due to miscommunication.” He paused while Tony took his words in. “So, I guess I should mention that the reason I started acting strangely last night was because you were so adamant on making sure the others knew we weren’t together, and I realized that it hurt hearing those words, even though they were true.”

“What-”

“Please, just-” Steve let out a laugh. “If I don’t finish now I probably never will.”

Tony shut his mouth.

“It was obviously unfair of me to expect anything else, since we were only tickle buddies and nothing else. But I like you, Tony. I really do. And hearing you say those things made me have a minor freakout.”

“Really?”

“I guess I had thought things would progress into more.”

They fell silent, Steve looking anywhere but on Tony as Tony tried to process his words. He hadn’t just hallucinated this whole conversation, had he?”

“I like you too,” he blurted out, apparently not stealthy at all while sober. “That’s why I freaked out when people indicated things.”

“You- really?”

“I didn’t want to get my own hopes up, but I figured maybe I could’ve read your mind from you blushing or whatnot, but you just left.”

“I’m sorry.”

“And then I left.”

“I gave you no reason to stay.”

“God, we’re both two messes, aren’t we?”

Steve laughed, and the last of the ice melted away. “We are.”

“You think two messes can merge into a slightly better mess?”

Steve licked his lips, eyes boring into Tony’s now. “I think so.”

“I mean, we could try.”

“We could.”

“Your place? Later, I mean.”

“You know, I kinda wanna see yours.”

“Mine then. After breakfast.”

“Sounds good.”

* * *

 

Bucky was suddenly very friendly again once it became apparent that they’d solved things. They still sat on opposite ends of the table, but whatever awkwardness had settled around them evaporated as soon as they came back, and Tony enjoyed the rest of his meal with a lighter heart than before.

They tipped Kate well, and she practically exploded with glee as they left. Honestly, if he could help that girl take America out for a nice date but also pay her rent, he’d be happy.

“And where are you two off to?” Bucky asked, having replaced his hostility with a knowing smirk.

“Tony’s gonna show me his place,” Steve explained, probably fully aware of how it sounded.

“I’ll return your hoodie and reclaim my shirt later,” Tony told Rhodey who was very visibly holding back a smile. Goddammit he’d die of embarrassment before they even left.

“I can show you guys that arcade place,” Sam, bless him, suggested. “It’s not far from here.”

And so their friends left together, acting as if they’d known each other for years, while Tony called a cab. He didn’t want to scare Steve away by bringing Happy into this just yet.

He’d have to explain his luxurious apartment soon anyway.

“Your taxi fees must be high,” Steve said when they walked up the stairs to his place.

“Eh, I get by.” Because I have a private fucking driver.

Steve didn’t comment on how big his home was, or how fancy. Only looked around curiously, politely. Tony didn’t know if he preferred this reaction over others.

“My dad owned a company that I inherited when he passed away,” he explained. “It’s doing quite good. That’s how I met Pepper.”

“That’s nice.” Steve let Tony take his jacket. “How long did you two date again?”

“Just over a year.”

“That’s long.”

“We were good friends, so it took a while to realize that we weren’t as good partners.” He glanced at Steve. “You want a tour?”

“Sure.”

Tony showed him the living room, the kitchen, the gym, even the bathroom, but they stayed in the bedroom the longest, Steve commenting on Tony’s king size bed.

The tension was palpable.

“Steve?”

“Hm?”

“Please tell me you want to pin me down and make me laugh until I can barely breathe.”

“I would love to pin you down and make you laugh until you can barely breathe.”

Tony started giggling before Steve had even thrown him down the bed, the anticipation and fear of possibly never having this again making him ten times as sensitive. Steve was grinning when he straddled his hips, looking so damn beautiful that Tony didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Any requests?” Steve asked, always considerate.

“Make me forget my own damn name, Rogers.”

“Oh, I intend to.”

But somehow that wasn’t what happened. In the middle of Steve torturing his hips Tony got this sudden urge; an urge he hadn’t ever felt before that made him seize Steve’s arms and flip him to the side. And then he started poking at the bigger man’s ribs.

And boy was that man ticklish.

“Wait, whahahat!” Steve cried out, struggling for a few seconds to catch Tony’s wrists. “What are you doing?”

“I know you’re a switch,” Tony explained. “And I wanted to hear you laugh too.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I wanted to.”

Steve’s smile melted into a soft gratefulness, but it didn’t take long for him to start scribbling over the exposed skin on Tony’s side. “Well, I want to hear you laugh too.”

They had their first proper tickle fight that day, and it was only just past noon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com).


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With all the cards on the table, it’s now time for Steve and Tony to experiment a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part of The Club AU is here! I had a lot of fun with this series, and I hope you all like it!
> 
> Warnings: Bondage

“Tell me your tickle fantasies.”

That sounded worse out of context than it was. In reality Steve and Tony were on Tony’s couch, a movie that they were ignoring playing on the TV. Their tickle fight had exhausted them, and thus they had decided to have a calm afternoon. But having a calm afternoon didn’t mean they had to exclude tickling entirely. Tony found that talking about it made him feel flushed enough anyway, so it was almost like some sort of foreplay.

A foreplay for something bigger.

“Well,” Steve said, his face reddening in a way that Tony was obsessed with. “You know I’m a switch. I’ve always loved the idea of tickling someone to pieces just to have them suddenly turn the tables on me.”

“Oh. So that one’s checked off the list.”

Steve barked out a laugh. “It was as if you’d read my mind.”

“Maybe I did.”

“God, I hope not.”

Tony would love to know what was on Steve’s mind all the time, but decided to let it go for now. “Tell me more.”

“I don’t want to weird you out.”

“You think I’m one to judge?”

“I don’t know. I think the fact that we’re, you know, tickle buddies might make it sound as if I expect you to agree to these things.”

Tony sat up more properly on the couch to get a better look at him. They were sitting on opposite ends with their backs to the armrests and legs tangled beneath a blanket. Steve was biting his lips when their eyes met.

“Steve, I know you, and I know you’d never force me into anything. But if you want to try something out, all you have to do is ask. The worst thing that can happen is that I say no.”

Steve nodded slowly. “You’re right.”

“So tell me. I asked you to share, if you want to, that is.”

“Okay.” Steve exhaled loudly. “Well, I’ve had this one fantasy for as long as I can remember, and I’ve had no one to try it out with.”

“Continue.”

“Oh, god.” Steve hid his face in his hand, and Tony had to admit that an embarrassed Steve was an adorable Steve. “Okay, I’m just gonna say it. I’ve always wanted to try bondage.”

Tony almost choked on his spit. “B-bondage?”

“Yes.”

“You mean-”

“I want to tickle someone who is tied down and won’t be able to stop me.”

“Oh dear.”

“Is it just me or are you turning red too?” Steve had dropped his hands, his growing grin almost overpowering his blush. “Interesting.”

“Shut up,” Tony mumbled, sliding down the couch a bit. “Did you hear your sentence just then? How can I  _not_ get flustered?”

Steve laughed. “Sorry. But it’s true.”

“What is?”

“That I would love to do that to someone. To tie their arms and legs to a bed and run my fingers freely over every sensitive spot I can find. Only stop when they say the safe word. Watch them struggle against a hundred different instincts and desires. Watch them go crazy with ticklish laughter.”

“I’m literally going to throw myself out the window.”

“You doing okay there?”

Tony groaned. “No. Not even close.”

“How come?”

“You’re literally describing my biggest fantasy and it’s freaking me out.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

They observed each other for a moment, Steve’s grin growing even  _more_ while Tony felt as if his face was about to set on fire. But it was a good fire. One he was willing to endure right now.

“Do you want to try it out?” Steve finally asked. “I mean, not necessarily now, but sometime?”

“I’d love to,” Tony breathed out. “Right now, if you’re up for it.”

“I am.”

“You are?”

“Uh huh.” Steve ran his big toe over Tony’s sole, making him withdraw his leg automatically. “You’ve got any, like, ropes or something?”

Tony grinned then, eagerly and timidly all at once. “I’ve got something even better.”

And that was how he admitted to Steve that he owned padded handcuffs - you know, just in case. Steve only laughed gleefully when he pulled them out of the deepest part of his closet, and Tony loved that he was looking forward to this as much as he was. It felt reassuring.

But he was nervous. He’d never let anyone have this much control of him before. It was terrifying.

He didn’t want to waste a single moment.

Steve was gentle when he cuffed him to the bedpost, though Tony didn’t have anything to tie his feet with, so they let them be free. Steve was going to focus on Tony’s upper body anyway, or so he said (Tony believed him).

“Remember that you can say the safeword whenever,” Steve reminded him as he straddled his hips. “I mean it, Tony.”

“I will, I promise.”

“Good. Right. Let’s see what I have to work with.”

Steve knew his worst spots by now, but still he kept his fingers hovering over his ribs, pondering on where to start. It was torture, so Tony reckoned that was why he was doing it to begin with, that bastard.

“You’re being very still,” Steve said, the corners of his lips twitching upward. “You nervous?”

“More like dying.”

“You do a lot of that.”

“You’re a good killer.”

“Oh, I’m sure. Do you think I can kill you with my fingers?”

“Have me die of laughter? Definitely.”

“Let’s not take it that far. Safe word, remember?”

“Yes, Steve, I remem- oh my god.”

Steve had placed his fingertips on his ribs, not moving them, but sending a ticklish jolt through Tony’s body anyway. If Tony had been still before he was a statue now, watching Steve’s hands intently, waiting and still becoming shocked when they finally set to work.

There was something special about having someone do unbelievably ticklish things to your sensitive body and you not being able to do a single thing to stop them. It didn’t matter how much Tony pulled at his hands. They were trapped. Confined and restricted, unable to do the one thing they so desperately wanted to do.

Tony was glad for it, even though his laughter was the closest thing to gratitude he could show in this moment. He wasn’t sure if he should feel a bit embarrassed over how quickly he’d started laughing, but right there, with Steve’s fingers clawing at his lower ribs, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Or maybe he was just a little distracted.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” His words were fragments of everything he wanted to scream out, but his laughter and squirming had turned him into a broken record that would only play every fifth word of the song, thus creating a unique melody, but not necessarily conveying the same message as the original. But who had time for metaphors when Steve was now fluttering his fingers over his belly?

Not Tony, that was for sure.

“Steve, oh my gohohod!”

“You doing okay?”

“Yehehes.”

“Oh, good. You’re a ticklish one. Probably the worst lee I’ve had.”

Tony wanted to ask how many he’d had, but decided it wasn’t important right now. Instead, he kept tugging at his arms, because Steve’s fingers were unbearably light on his skin, and Tony thought he would die if this didn’t stop. A sweet death, but a death nevertheless.

Steve must’ve noticed that it was too much for him, right now right there, so he journeyed to his sides instead, squeezing and digging into them in a way that had him actually giggling. He wouldn’t say his laughter died down, only that it took a different form of intensity. One that maybe seemed less desperate, but don’t be fooled because Tony was still in the hell of his choice.

Steve was kind of ruthless, which he already knew by now, because how many times had he not tickled Tony into insanity? How many times had his nails scraped over the hollows of Tony’s arms while the other hand kept his arms secured above his head, ignoring the way Tony screamed? How many times had he not nuzzled his neck, refusing to stop until Tony was red in the face? Too many to count already.

“Woah, easy.”

Tony had started kicking his feet in desperation, something he couldn’t help, and had almost managed to knock Steve off off him in the process. Steve wasn’t deterred, however. Only reached one hand behind him to squeeze at Tony’s thigh, once, twice, thrice, and it tickled more and more the longer he was at it.

“Not the leg!” he cried, but Steve only added his other hand into the mix, and it didn’t matter how much Tony kicked now. He wasn’t budging. Wasn’t even changing spots. Only kept torturing the limited amount of skin beneath his fingertips.

“Can’t handle it?” he teased, and even though Tony had his head thrown back he could hear his grin. “I thought you were tougher than this.”

“Shut uhuhup!”

“Now that’s not very nice, is it?”

Tony’s words earned him a poke to his belly, which then developed to scribbling just beneath his navel, and maybe he needed to learn to shut up himself because that combined with the persistent squeezing to one of his thighs was overwhelming.

“Steve, please,” he heard himself beg, but he wasn’t touching the safe word yet. Not even close.

“Please what?” Steve asked, playful and concerned simultaneously, in the way only he could be.

“Plehehease!”

“Please  _what_?”

Fingers on his neck now. Toying with it. Overstimulating it. Making him scrunch up his shoulders and press his arms closer to the side of his head in an attempt to make it stop. Hysterical laughter spilling out of his lips, filling the room, limiting the air he still wasn’t getting enough of. The best kind of suffocation. The happiest kind.

Safe word leaving his lips at the same time fingertips brushed against his upper ribs. Fingers stilling, leaving the vicinity of his skin, making him trust Steve entirely.

He wasn’t panting. Panting was too weak of a word to describe the actual gasping for oxygen that was happening.

“I should’ve given you a breather,” Steve said instantly, but Tony shook his head.

“You weren’t at it for that long,” he managed to say. “It’s not your fault I cannot handle a bit of tickling.”

“Well, a bit is to simplify it. I did go for your worst spots sequentially.”

“Like a good ler.”

“You were being a wonderful lee, may I say.”

“Can we… well, can we not be finished just yet?” Tony wasn’t sure why he always got so shy asking for things like this.

“What did you have in mind?” Steve asked gently.

“Can you- I mean, I know we haven’t kissed yet, but I have this dream of being kissed and tickled at the same time and seeing as we had a moment and a confession earlier I figured-”

“Tony.”

“What?”

“It would be an honor to kiss you.”

And he did. Leaned in - since Tony was in no position to move - and pressed their lips together, sweetly and tenderly and oh so reassuringly. If Tony hadn’t already been out of breath he would now be breathless.

And when fingers started wiggling over his sides and hips, Tony knew he was in heaven.

* * *

 

“Steve?”

“Hmm?”

“You awake?”

Steve cracked an eye open, looking like a god in the pale moonlight. “What is it?”

“There’s nothing wrong, you don’t need to be concerned.”

Steve sought out his hand under the covers. “What’s on your mind?”

“Why did you have a blue bracelet the first day we met?” And every weekend since.

Steve huffed out a laugh. “That’s what you’re thinking about in the middle of the night?”

“I’m curious.”

“I wore a blue bracelet because I wanted to show I was available, but only if I found the right person.”

“Ah.”

“What?”

“That’s why I picked blue as well. I think I was initially drawn to you because of it.”

Steve squeezed his hand. “Well, I’m sure happy about that.”

Tony smiled. “So am I.”

The understatement of the century.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com).

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com).


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